


You're the Inspiration

by Zimithrus1



Series: Always and Forever [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Clack, Clack Day, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, zakkura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 04:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7420831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zimithrus1/pseuds/Zimithrus1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack has never seen his across the street neighbor before, and when he does, he's taken away.</p><p>Written for Clack day 2016 :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're the Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this really quick in honor of Clack day today! Woo-hoo! I usually always miss it, but not this time! :D Inspried from a prompt I found on Tumblr, man I have a lot of those!
> 
> Hope you like it! :)

Zack gently swiveled from side to side in his office chair as he stared at his blank computer screen. He hummed in thought, caught somewhere between annoyed and exasperated. He knew he had been putting it off for quite some time and knew he needed to start, but the words just wouldn’t come. He knew what he needed to write down, but it seemed to be stuck, as if he had no motivation whatsoever.

He never thought himself to be the creative type, not in the least. But for some reason, he always thought writing was a great way to pass the time if he was too sore from exercising or doing anything else physically over the top. Ever since he had been granted leave from the military, he’d been bored stiff with little to no drive to do anything other than push himself too far and work out too much.

So what if he had been a bit too close to a grenade when it went off? The first two months weren’t very pretty at all, but he’d healed nicely since then. He still had a deep scar on the left side of his jaw and his hearing would phase in and out, but he deemed himself fit to return.

However, his commanding officers said for him to take another month off and see how he fared. However, that didn’t make any sense to him. He was single, living in a one bedroom apartment in the heart of Midgar and had nothing else better to do with his time. He had no one else to spend his free time with and had way too much energy to just simply _rest._

So in order to rectify his boredom when he felt too wore out to exercise, he had taken up writing about his time on the field. It was a way to keep him occupied and concentrated. But now, nothing was coming. He just stared at a blank page open in his word editing program with no drive this afternoon.

He couldn’t write, he couldn’t work out due to sore and aching muscles, what else was there for a hyperactive twenty-three year old to do? He heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. He used his hands to push against his desk and jolt his swivel chair away from his computer. The wheels underneath creaked from the sudden force and the tailwind felt good against the back of his neck.

A smirk crawled across his face when a few of his black locks of hair tickled the sides of his face. When the short joy ride was over, he blew a single strand of hair out of his eyesight and leaned back into the cool leather. He stayed like that for a moment before he folded his hands in his lap, watching himself twiddle his thumbs against the black of his loose cargo pants. He even twisted up the fabric of his pine green shirt in his hands for a minute.

But even that became boring much too soon. He gently pivoted his chair to the right to face his window. He never did like keeping the blinds or curtains closed, it blocked out the sunshine. So his bright blue eyes stared out of the open space and towards the building across from his own. However, his content turned into intrigue when he realized the window in the building across the street from his own was open.

Normally when he looked out his window, the one across from him always had the blinds drawn. But today was an exception. There, in the window right across from his own, was a young man dusting and dancing at the same time.

Zack couldn’t stop thinking about how gorgeous he looked. He had never seen his across the street window neighbor before, so he sat up from his chair with piqued interest as his hands placed themselves on the armrests.

Bright yellow hair the color of morning sunshine sat atop his head arranged in chaotic looking spikes. (Which he had to add, looked like his own, but even more disheveled) Even from the thirty-three meter distance it looked so soft and shiny. His breath hitched when his across the street neighbor pivoted and the rest of his face was visible. His eyes caught the sight of a pair that nearly mirrored his own; stunning sky blue.

His skin looked unflawed, even from the distance, like that of porcelain. Even the clothes he wore looked just as good as he did: blue flannel button up with a black tank top underneath, complete with a pair what could have been skinny jeans. It was hard to pinpoint everything due to the space between them.

The angelic looking man was dusting off a bookcase with a carefree smile on his face. If Zack strained his still-damaged ears, he could pick up faintly on the sounds of music wafting out of that window like some sweet scent. He pulled himself closer to the window of his own apartment, crossing his arms over the ledge and resting his face in the gap between them.

He watched as the blond man continued to dance and dust in front of the open window like nothing else even mattered. Zack was enraptured the whole time he stared at him. Sure, identifying as a bisexual meant anyone was up for grabs, but he had never seen _anyone_ this attractive before. He wished he had a way to contact him now.

But before he could act upon anything, those bright eyes glanced out the window and he suddenly stilled. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, as if someone watching him dance and dust was the most frightening thing in the world. Zack perked, lifting himself off his windowsill when he realized that angelic face was blankly staring back at _him._ He gave the man his most genuine and happy grin before he waved at him.

The blond man continued to stare at him like a frozen deer, his hands clutching his duster for dear life. He blinked slowly as his face grew even redder. He averted his eyes and shrank away from the window slightly. Not disappearing from sight completely, but getting close.

Zack didn’t want to see him go, at least not yet. Without realizing it, he had stood up from his chair swiftly and held his hand out of his own open window, as if asking him to stay without saying it. When he realized that’s what he was doing, a blush crept over his own face and he retracted his hand with a sheepish laugh.

“Ohh, Zack…What are you doing?” He asked himself as he ran his once extended hand through his hair.

But much to his surprise, the blond man slowly approached the window again before dusting the same bookshelf he already finished cleaning. After a few seconds of a nervous looking sweep or two, he started to sway and move slightly, as if going back to dancing again even though he was aware he had an audience.

Zack cocked his head to the right slightly. Was he continuing to dance even though he was aware he was still watching him? It made him crack a huge smile and he went right back to watching. He went to sit back down in his chair, but forgot he had quickly stood up, which means that the chair was no longer underneath him. So, he tumbled back with a loud squawk and a thump of the same volume.

His hearing phased in and out rapidly at that, sharp ringing pulsating in his ears like a reverberated note from a guitar. He shook his head and laughed dismissively, standing up and dusting himself off. When he glanced out the window, he saw the blond man across the street with his hand over his mouth and his shoulders shaking.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say that man was laughing at him. That just had Zack start laughing as well. They did that for a little bit longer until the blond glanced behind him for a brief moment. He looked back out the window and waved what looked to be a goodbye at him before he slowly closed the window, followed by the blinds.

The young black-haired man had to admit, he was a bit crestfallen when the angelic man across from him closed up his window so abruptly. He reclaimed his chair, sitting in it as he kept his gaze locked to the window across the street. He stared at it for a moment before his eyes lit up. He quickly rolled himself back over to his computer and opened up a completely new document. He didn’t want to write about field experience or what it was like in the military. No, he found a much different muse.

_‘It started off as any other afternoon would, except for one huge difference: I had no idea the sun shined through a window across from mine, rather in the sky…’_

* * *

 

**One Week Later…**

Zack had made a habit of always glancing towards his window at about one o’ clock in the afternoon every day after he saw that blond haired man across the street. Every time he glanced out his window, he’d find that young man dusting the same bookshelf at the first day their eyes met and he’d dance and smile.

He’d even glance over to his own window to smile at him or wave, which was a gesture the soldier was swift and eager to return. Around the third day of watching the blond, he’d started to dance along with him. Sometimes he would dance, then glance across the street to see the other man size up his moves before trying to out-dance him. It would go back and forth like that for about thirty minutes before that hand would wave him goodbye and he’d close his window for the day.

Around the fifth day, that window started staying open longer, or it would start opening up at later times of the day. Zack always found himself close by his window at all times, just to make sure he never missed a beat. They even started writing on pieces of paper and flashed them out the window as some form of communication. But he still never got his name.

So after a whole week had passed, Zack had the other man’s schedule down like clockwork: At one o’ four he’d open up his window and they’d dance and smile until one thirty-nine. Then they’d pick up where they left off last at three twenty-two and keep going until four o’ three. Then at six sharp they’d open up the window just to see what the other was doing. Often times, the black-haired man would hold up a plate of food to show the other man what he was eating, and the blond soon began doing the same.

Zack found a stopping place in his writing when one in the afternoon rolled around. He launched his chair from his desk and rolled over to the window, where he adjusted himself in the large leather seat and waited for the time when that angelic man would open up his window and start cleaning a bookshelf that was already clean. When the clock struck one o’ four, Zack sat up in his chair was waiting for those blinds to roll up and that windowpane to slide up.

However, it did not come. One o’ four soon slipped into five, then six, then seven, going so far as ten and the young man still hadn’t opened up his window. That was odd. He leaned away from the window with a puzzled and concerned look on his face. Was the other man sick? Was he out of the house today? He found himself upset and rather disappointed at his disappearance. He enjoyed the daily ritual of dancing through the window. But then again, it was Saturday. He was probably out doing something fun.

But he was even more confused when he there was a knock on his front door. He usually didn’t get visitors until later in the evening if he got any at all. Who on earth would knock so early if that was the case? He rose from his chair and shuffled across his living room to answer the door. He didn’t even to check the peephole to see who it was, he just opened it right up.

His face brightened in both happiness and curiosity when he found that the angelic face that danced with him across the street was now standing in front of him coyly.

“Hi.” He greeted quietly.

Zack couldn’t even respond. Not only was he just as gorgeous up close as he was from afar, but he had the sweetest and most intoxicating voice he had ever heard. He was wearing the same outfit he had first seen him in over a week ago, and it looked even better on him front three feet away, rather than a hundred.

“Hello?” He tried again, waving his hand in front of the black-haired man’s dazed face.

He shook his head and laughed softly, “Hey.” He responded after clearing his throat.

“I was starting to think you didn’t have a voice, good to know you do.” The other man joked as a smile graced the corners of his bow-shaped lips.

“Uh, y-yeah, I have a voice, of course I do! I mean, unless I was a mute or something, then I guess I wouldn’t really have a-”

“You’re cute when you ramble.” The angelic man blurted gently, laughing softly after finishing.

A bright red blush swept over Zack’s face at that, and his mouth started to move without making any sound. After a moment of silent stuttering, he replied, “I prefer rugged, or handsome, not _cute._ It’s not my style.” He joked with a bright smile of his own. “If anyone’s cute here, it’s you.” He added with a half-smirk.

That had a faint pink glow radiate from the blond’s cheeks and he gently tapped his booted foot against the carpet outside the apartment room.

“Anyways, I’m Zack. It’s finally nice to meet you…”

“Cloud.” The man responded.

“Would you like to come in?” Zack invited as he stepped aside.

“Actually, I wanted to know if you’d rather like to go out instead?” Cloud countered with a smile.

That had Zack dashing back inside to find where he had thrown his boots the day before.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! :D Leave a kudo or comment if you want! It'd be gratefully appreciated!


End file.
